Gas-generating apparatus.



No. 851,360. v PATENTED APR. 2-3, 1907.

w; E. LEONARD.

GAS GENERATING APPARATUS..

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 16,1906.

3 SHBETSSHEE 1.

, l L 'wi/tmeooeo via/M 55W PATENTED APR. 23, 1907.

3 SHEETS-81 11.1121 2.

W. E. LEONARD.

GAS GENERATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 16,1906.

No. 851,360. I PATENTED APR. 23, 1907. W. E. LEONARD. GAS GENERATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 16,1906.

TS-7SHEBT s.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

- WILLIAM E. LEONARD, or SILVER CREEK, WASHINGTON, ASSIGNOR or ONE- HALF TO BAILEY WADDINGHAM, OF GLENDIVE, MONTANA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 23, 1907.

Application filed May 16. 1906. Serial No. 317,066.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, NVILLIAM E. LEONARD, of Silver Creek, county of Lewis, and State of Washington, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Gas-Generating Apparatus, of which the following is a specificaminating or heating gas from wood and analogous vegetable substances.

The invention consists of an apparatus of improved form and construction adapted to extract from the wood, the greatest amount of gas and to leave the. by-products, such as charcoal, creosote, carbolic acid, wood-alcohol, etc, in the most favorable-condition to be recovered and subsequently utilized.

In the accompanying drawings :Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved apparatus complete. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional elevation through the furnace and retort on the line aa of Fig. 1, showing the condenser in cross-section. tion on the lineb b of Fig. 2, the section extending transversely through the retort,

longitudinally through the condenser, and centrally through the purifier. Fig. 4 is a transverse section through the etor-t and furnace on the line cc of Fig. particularly the lining for the underside of the retort and the manner of supporting the same. Fig. 5 is a horizontal section through the purifier on the line (l-#1 of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a pers ective View of one end of the retort and t .e lid-confining yoke. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the protecting shield for the under side of the retort.

Referring to the drawings :1ny apparatus comprises as its essential features, a retort 1 to receive the gas generating material; a furnace 2 for heating the retort; a condenser 3 into which the gaseous vapors from the retort pass and are condensed and the heavier matters precipitated; and a purifier .4 through which the gas from the condenser passes and is purified and rendered fit for heating, 9r illuminating purposes.

The retort is in the form of a cylindrical vessel, s et horizontally in the furnace with its front portion over the fire box, from which the products of combustion pass Fig. 3 is a sec-' showing around the. retort throughout its length, through the heating space surroundin the retort, and issue from the rear end 0 the furnace through an opening 2 in the dome. The retort extends at its op osite ends beyond the end walls of the urnace, and is closed by removable lids orcaps 1.

The lids may be secured to the. retort mouths in any manner, which, while hermetically scaling the mouths, will permit the lids to be opened, but I prefer to adopt the construction shown in Figs. '1 and 2, where it will be seen that the projecting ends of the retort have fixed to them at opposite sides plates 1 provided on their ends with longitudinal lugs 1', between which the ends of a yoke l are seated and secured by vertical removable fastening pins 1 extending through the lugs and yoke. The yoke is provided with a threaded opening in which a threaded stem 1 is screwed and adapted to hear at its inner end against the lid, and provided on its opposite end with a hand wheel for turning it. In its inner face near its edge, the lid is provided with a circular groove to receive the rim of the retort mouth, in which groove a suitable packing 1 is seated, so that when the screw stem is tightened up against the lid, the mouth of the retort will be efi'eetu ally sealed against the escape of gases. By removing one or the other of the confining pins, the yoke may be swung to the right or eft as desired, the remaining pin serving as a pivotal support for the yoke. In order that when the yoke is swung on its pivot, the lid may be carried with and supported by it, the latter is formed with openings to loosely receive horizontal pins 1 projecting outward from the face of the lid. The retort is retained inposition in the furnace and pre vented from moving endwise when the screw 1 is ti htened up against the lid, by means may be protected from the effects of the severe heat at the point where it extends over the fire box, and where it is exposed to the direct action of the flame, I propose to provide a shield 1 of suitable material, arranged to cover the lower. surface of the retort at its front. The shield is in the form of a shell, curved to conform \to the curvature of the retort, and suspended from the same by means of hangers 1 passing over and aroundthe retort and fastened at their lower ends to lugs on the edges of the shell;

The retort is divided into two communicating chambers, a front main one 1 and a rear sub-retort 1 a vertical partition 1 being fixed to the inner side of the retort at a distance from its front end about Lwo-thirds the length of the same. The upper end of the partition terminates some distance below the top of the retort so as to form a communicating passage 1 between the main and subretort. This feature of construction I deem of great importance and ad- I 15 vantage, in that it enables the heavier resiwater in which is arranged a condensing coil The coil consists of a vertical pipe 3 entering the casing at one end, and a number of horizontal coils 3 the lower coil leaving the casing at the opposite end through verti- 0 cal ipe 3 5 orc T e 'aseous vapors from the retort enter the coil through a vertical pipe 3 communieating with the vertical pipe 3 of the coil. The ipe 3 extends within an enlarged neck Tlar 1 rising from the top of the sub-retort adjacent the artition 1, an annular space 1 being thus l eft between the pipe and t e surrounding neck, so that the drippings of the heavier precipitated matters from the r 4 condenser asthey flow back to the sub-retort in the manner presently to be described, will not adhere to the sides of the neck and clog .the same.

The lower coil 3 of the condenser is pro- 4 5 vided with a collecting basin 3 having an incoil by the vertical pipe 3 clined' bottom, into which collecting basin the heavier condensed matters settle as they arefreed from the gaseous vapors by the condensing action, the free gas passing out 'of the The contents of the collecting basin may, from time to time, be returned to the subretort for further res torting, by means of a downwardly inclined pipe 3 leading from the bottom of the basin, and communicating with the vertical pipe 3 a globe valve 3 being provided in the inclined pipe for controlling the passage of the condensed substances.

I prefer to introduce the cold water from any suitable source into the water jacket at one end near its base by pipe 3 and discharge the same from the top of the casing by pipe 3 The gas leaving the condensing chamber through pipe 3, enters a catch basin 4 in the base of the purifier 4, which basin receives the solid matters brought over with the gas from the condenser, and which may be drawn off through cock 4 At its center the basin communicates through a vertical neck 4 with-a depending neck 4 on the bottom of a vertical cylindrical vessel 4 containing layers of purifying material, the opening in the base of the vessel being covered by an in verted perforated cup 4 This vessel is sure rounded by a cylindrical casing 4f rising from the top of the catch basin, and forming an annular space between the casing and the vessel 4 through which space the purified gas flows after passing through the purifying layers and it leaves the purifier by'means of a pipe 4 entering the side of the casing 4 and leading to a gas holder (not shown) where the gas is stored for use.

The upper end of casing 4 is closed by a cylindrical cover 4" extending downwardly into an annular body of water P confined in an annular chamber between the casing P and a surrounding water jacket 4 these parts forming -a water-seal. The top of the cover is provided with an inwardly opening check valve 4, which acts to prevent the suction, due to the cooling of the retort, from drawing the water from the water-seal over into the vessel containing the purifying laye rs. The cylindrical cover 4 is held firmly in place by meansof hin ed latches 4 carried by the cover and engaging lugs or projections on the jacket 4 The operation of the mechanism is as'follows: The fire being started in the furnace,

and wood placed in the retort, the covers are.

closed and fastened tightly in place so as to hermetically seal the retorting chamber. As the wood is subjected to the action of the heat, it throws off gas-containing substances in the form of a gaseous vapor, which passes over into the sub-retort where-it is superheated and becomes a fixed gas. From the sub-retort the gas enters the condensing chamber where, being subjected to the cooling action of the circulating water, the va pors are condensed, and the heavier tarry matters held in suspension, are precipitated, and settle in the collecting basin 3 from which they are returned through pipe 3 to the subretort for a further retorting action in order to effectually extract all gaseous matter. From the condenser, the gas, freed of all its heavier substances, passes to the too purifier,.where it is subjected to a purifying action, and leaving the same it is conducted to a gas holder and stored for use.

Having thus described my invention, what 2 I claim is: v

In a generator, the combination of aretort formed at its front with a main retortextending" fer nearly the entire length of the hand this 7 day of May, 1906, in the presence ing unobstructed Lhmughout, a condenser 1 of two attesting witnesses.

retort proper, and each of-snid chambers becommuuieuting with the sub-retorting churnher, and menus\vhel'ehy the accumulated eundensate may be discharged at willinto the sub-retort.

In testimeny whereof I hereunto set my WILLIAM LEONARD.

\Vitnesses:

N. M. KJEsBU, G. H. TUCKER. 

